Turbine steam-engine.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J OIIN YOUNG, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

-TURBINE STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters IVPatent No. 645,283, dated March13, 1900. Application filed April 13, 1898. Serial Nol 677,428. (Nomodel.)

To all 11172/0771, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN YOUNG, engineer, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex, in the State of NewJersey, have inventedv a certain lnew and useful Improvement in RotaryImpact or Turbine Steam-Engines, of which the following is aspecification.

My improved engine is of the class in which the steam admitted at onepoint is allowed to move to another point by being alternately deiiectedfirst in one direction by stationary guides and then in anotherdirection by a series of guides .or wings carried on a part which isfree to move. It is the principle involved in water-wheels of the classknown as turbine, and the term turbine applies with some propriety tothis class of steam-engines,

the motion being much more lively with steam than with water, so as totend to induce an extremely-rapid motion of the wheel, but loeingless inforce, due to the levity of the fluid. I have devised an improvementinvolving a simple and efficient construction whereby the manufacture isfacilitated, and ,smooth holes may be bored by ordinary tools in whatwould otherwise be almost impracticable positions and directions. v

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification andrepresent what I consider the best means of carrying out the invention.

' able material, supernumerals, as A, being used to designate specialparts thereof when necessary. The casing is made in two parts, which maybe exactly similar, applying on opposite sides of the wheel. Adescription of one will serve for both.

B is a shaft to which is firmly attached a hub B', carrying a narrowerring B2 on its midlength. To this is firmly united a wider ring B2, uponwhich is a narrow ring B4, another wide ring B5, another narrow ring B6,and so on. I have shown the series terminating with the narrow ring B8;but the series can be carried out further, if desired, in any case,taking care to have the casing which incloses them made to correspond.The ring B2 is bored vwith twenty-eight holes b, the ring B5 withthirty-four holes somewhat larger, and t-he ring BT with forty holeslarger still. All the holes are inclined, so that the steam will drivethe wheel forward as it moves outward through these holes.

The two parts'of the casing A are formed in part of separate ringstightly set and partly embedded in the inner faces, which are presentedtoward the rapidly-revolving wheel. The rings make the faces matchexactly to the sides of the wheel which are presented thereto. Theinnermost rin g is marked A2 and matches against the narrow portion B2of the wheel. The next ring A4 matches against the narrow ring B4 of thewheel. The next ring A6 matches against the narrow ring B6 of the wheel.Lastly, the outermost ring A8 matches against the outermost narrow ringB8 of the wheel. All are adapted to make a tight and easy fit of thecasing against the adjacent surfaces of the wheel, matching not onlyagainst the narrow portions B2, B4, B2, and B8, but also against thewide portions B2, B5, and B7. All the iXed rings A2 A4 A6 A8 are boredwith holes c, which are inclined in the opposite direction to the holesb. The steaml in moving through these holes a is always thrown in thedirection to impel the wheel forward. The holes a increase in number andsize in the several successive rings. The rings A2 have each twenty-oneholes, the rings A4 have each thirty-one holes of larger diameter, therings A6 have each thirty-seven holes of' still larger diameter, and therings AS have each fortythree holes still larger.

The shaft B, with itslhub B and rings B2, &c., is allowed to revolverapidly.

The innermost rings A2 are each formed integrally with the main body ofthe casting A, on which it is set. rlhe other rings A4, A6, and A8 areformed separately and are fitted by tightly driving into correspondingclose- ICO fitting annular recesses in the parts A. When in position,they are adapted to serve with the other portion A, in which they areset, as a single rigid unit.

Steam admitted from a boiler (not shown) through the pipes A andvertical passages A10 to the central space surrounding the hub of theWheel flows outward through the several holes ct in the rings A2, A4,A6, and A8, being each time deected to impel the wheel forward. Betweenthe rings A2 and A4 it strikes the rings B3 and moves through the holesZ2 therein, inclined in the opposite direction. So with regard to itspassage through the other several rings, at each passage lowering itspressure and becoming increased in bulk, requiring` more numerous andlarger holes for its passage. The steam acts on the wheel at each stage,both by percussion and reaction, the percussion due to its deflection inpassing through the apertures a in the 'fixed rings and the reaction dueto the different deliection in the other direction, rearward relativelyto the motion of the wheel, by its passage through the apertures b inthe revolving parts. It is discharged at the rim into an annular passaged', from whence it is allowed to escape througha liberal passage a2 andmay be led bya pipe All to any point desired. If the conditions arefavorable, it may be discharged into a vacuum, so that the engine may bea condensing one. Power is communicated from the shaft B through agear-wheel B9, which engageswith a train of reducing-gearing (not shown)by which the speed is reduced, andthe power may be made eflicien t inthe ordi nary and longapproved manner.

It is important to balance the wheel B very perfectly. The manufactureof the rings each separatel y from a sound casting or forge, with theholes cleanly bored, tends to make a very nearly perfect balance withoutattention. Any balancing which the wheel is found to require whencompleted may be attained by theremoval of small quantities at theproper point on the outer edge or rim.A

I attach importance to the construction of the wheel and also of theinner faces of the two parts of the casing A with separatelyformedrings, because it makes it easier to drill the holes while the rings areseparate and subsequently to bring them into their proper relation tothe other parts by combining such separately-formed rings rigidlytogether, the proper rings being combined to form the wheel and theproper rings having the holes oppositely inclined to form the properdirecting and abutment parts of the casing.

Modifications may be made without departing from the principle orsacrificing the advantages of the invention. The number and sizes of theholes in the several rings may be varied. Their angular positions mayalso be somewhat varied. There may be more or less difference betweenthe aggregate area in the inner rings and the outer rings as comparedwith those in the intermediate. Other means may be employed for holdingthe fixed rings A4 AGAS, among which may be screws inserted from theoutside. Screws maybind together the rings B2 B3, dre. One such is shownin Fig. 3.

It is not essential to the success of the invention that the-steam shallbe introduced at the center and discharged at the periphery, as shown.By making the proper changes in the diameters of the holes for thepassage of the steam, so that there shall be a greater aggregate area ofapertures through the innermost rings and a lesser aggregate area of theholes in the outermost rings, I can introduce the steam at the peripheryand discharge it at the center. Such an arrangement will allow areduction in the strength and thickness of the parts A by bringing theintensely-highpressure portion to the periphery adjacent to theholding-bolts and leaving the middle exposed only to the distendingstrain due to the much reduced terminal pressure. Fig. 3 shows such anarrangement. I prefer the arrangement first described.

Instead of making the wide rings and the narrow ones each separate onewide ring and one narrow ring can be made together.

In adapting my engine to receive the steam at the periphery'anddischarge at the center I' can make the wide rings wider in the centerthan at the periphery and get room for va larger number of the holes inthe innermost. Fig et shows these features.

This construction, equally with that before described, allows theinclined holes tobe drilled with perfection and ease by ordinary tools.

I claim as my inventionl. In a rotary engine of the character described,a motor-wheel comprising alternate narrowand wide independentring-sections fitted together to serve as a unit and presenting onopposite faces a series of concentric ribs, the latter having obliqueperforations, substantially as herein specified.

2. In a rotary impact steam-engine of the character described, theconstruction of the revoluble wheel in rings having oblique perforationsand formed separately and fitted rigidly together to serve as a unit, incombination with a fixed inclosing casing the inner faces of which areprovided with rings formed separately from each other and from the bodyportions of the casing, having perforations inclined oppositely to thoseof the wheel-rings and adapted to serve therewith when subjected tostrong currents of steam, substantially as herein specified. y

3. In a rotary impact steam-engine, awheel having concentric ringsformed in independent sections and projecting on both faces andperforated obliquely, in combination with a casing having closely-fittedrings formed independently of each other and of the supporting portionsand with perforations oppositely inclined, provided with thesteam-passages Alo, A1", extending radially of the casing on each side,the two pipes A9, A, con- IIO withapertures b, inclined in the oppositedirection relatively to the radius, the rings of each casing part beingalso separately formed and iitted to serve as a unit, substantially asherein specied. f

In testimony that I claim the invention above set forth I afx mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

, JOHN YOUNG.

Witnesses:

'J. B. CLAUTICE,

M. F. BoYLE.

